Israeli Official Arrested in Tel Aviv As Spy; Worked for Foreign Legation

July 27, 1959

TEL AVIV (Jul. 26)

A 28-year-old Israeli, who served in the Israel Army and later became a government official, was charged today with espionage for an unnamed country, after confessing to the police authorities that he was engaged in spying for a foreign nation.

Explaining that he did it for family reasons, the Israeli, who is married and has a child two months old, indicated that, unable to bring his parents to Israel under the “reunion of families” scheme, he contacted a foreign legation here and proposed his services on condition that his parents would be permitted to emigrate to Israel from the country which the legation represents. Neither the name of the arrested man, nor the name of the country for which he worked was disclosed.

The defendant came to Israel eight years ago. He studied electronics in the country from which he emigrated. Upon arriving in Israel, he joined the Israel Army. Later he became a government official. He said that he started his contacts with the foreign legation in 1956 on his own initiative. He has been known by his neighbors as a quiet, friendly person and a good father and husband.